Overwhelmed by NXNE’s massive program? Check out our list to see which of the 1000+ acts at the festival you should try to catch this year, and check back for regular coverage of the best shows as they happen.
FRENCH GIRLS
French Girls transition from turbulent guitar squalls to percussive dance floor-ready crowd-pleasers with the ease of a much more experienced band. Backed by a ceaselessly-energetic outfit that knows how to construct a taut guitar riff, the lead singer oscillates from a vaguely pained Bradford Cox warble to a half-in-the-can belligerent growl a la Julian Casablancas. (When he pleads, “Lock me up! Just like mawn-sta!” you can’t convince me I’m not listening to a lost Room On Fire track, right in between “Reptilia” and “Automatic Stop”). Because of (and not despite) their obvious influences, French Girls are an act to catch this year. If their live shows are half as fun as their recording sessions sound, it’ll be a real good time.
Where they’re from: Willits, California
File with: The Strokes, The White Stripes
Tags: #catchy, #dance, #powerhouse
When: Friday, June 14, 10 pm at Cherry Cola’s Rock n’ Rolla Cabaret & Lounge
DIANA
Here’s another band that decided to take up the hazy synth pop trade. Like nearly all dreamy, fragile, proudly chillwave bands, Toronto-based DIANA’s catalogue consists of nearly faultless summer music and not much more. Then again, it probably doesn’t need to be. DIANA is making waves in the city and beyond, and might be one of our most valuable additions to the drowsy n’ delicate pop canon soon enough. Hopefully panicky sonic-collagist Doldrums shows up to perform his remix of DIANA’s “Born Again,” because it’s really great.
Where they’re from: Toronto
File with: Beach Fossils, Washed Out, DIIV
Tags: #hazy, #broken, #chill, #synth, #diffuse
When: Thursday, June 13, 10 pm at Horseshoe Tavern
BIG BLACK DELTA
When NXNE tells you they’re showcasing all the latest buzz bands, they really mean Big Black Delta (government name Jonathan Bates). Bates has friends in pretty high electronic places, boasting a collaboration with M83 and a spot on the Tron: Legacy remix album. And though some parts of Big Black Delta’s catalogue sound a bit like limp reimaginings of Twin Shadow’s lackluster sophomore album, on the highly acclaimed track “Side of the Road” he sounds like a robotic wraith trapped inside a glass bottle. By that I mean go see him at NXNE.
Where they’re from: Highland Park, Illinois
File with: Daft Punk, M83, Depeche Mode
Tags: #electronic, #synth, #techpop, #vocoder
When: Friday, June 14, 11 pm at the Garrison
Saturday, June 15, 6 pm at Yonge-Dundas Square
THE BLANK TAPES
Psychedelic surf rock from Los Angeles by way of The Kinks, accented by a Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast-detachment but anchored by a Beach Boys buoyancy. Lyrics like, “I can’t believe what you said, you better mean it unlike the last time when you were out of your head” abound; the lead singer might as well be half-ironically lamenting, “I wish he was my boyfriend” over and over. But when his voice strains a bit, he defaults to a melodic Tom Petty earnestness. Plus, the band’s certainly got the rhythmic handclap beat and anthemic beachside pop chorus thing down.
Where they’re from: Los Angeles, California
File with: The Kinks, Beach Boys, The Jayhawks, Best Coast
Tags: #endearing, #sunny, #sweet, #winsome, #beach, #summer
When: Saturday, June 15, 9 pm at Tranzac–Southern Cross
Saturday June 15,1 am at Cameron House
DOSS THE ARTIST
Doss the Artist’s landing page is the cover of his album 9 Lives: a very Adult Swim-y image of a floating cat face with an eye in the middle of its forehead. The Detroit rapper’s catalogue is similarly alienating and intriguing. His album art may prompt Odd Future cynicals to dismiss the guy as Tyler, The Creator’s less industrious, late-to-the-game little brother, but his music tells a different story. Whether he’s bolstered by sinister, Barbie-Girl-gone-bad hooks, diving head first into bangers reminiscent of an Alchemist production or riding a scratchy Skrillex-y beat, Doss seems comfortable leapfrogging between one “type” of rap to another.
Where he’s from: Detroit, Michigan
File with: Mykki Blanco, Brenmar, Hodgy Beats
Tags: #shockrap, #hyper, #aggresive
When: Friday, June 14, 11 pm at the Crawford
